Thomason: Sleepers & Daily Fantasy Value Plays For Week 13
By Jack Thomason–
(CBS) As a reminder, this piece can be utilized for daily fantasy football and/or season-long leagues. The idea is to create one-stop show for sleepers at each position, no matter what league you're playing. Best of luck to everyone in Week 13.
Quarterback
Blaine Gabbert, Cardinals (vs. Rams) — In Gabbert's two starts, he's thrown for an average of 249 yards, 2.5 touchdowns and 1.5 interceptions. He's averaging 20 points per game, and that includes playing Jacksonville. Gabbert isn't the next coming, but he's playing for the right to start next year if Carson Palmer retires. And he's produced so far. The Rams will be another tough matchup, ranking fourth in 4for4's schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) to quarterbacks and third in Football Outsider's DVOA. As seven-point home underdogs, Gabbert and the Cardinals should do plenty of throwing. (FanDuel: $6500; DraftKings: $4700)
Brett Hundley, Packers (vs. Buccaneers) — Recency bias? Maybe, but Hundley has also been a little better fantasy wise than most are giving credit for. In his six starts, he's had more than 12 points three times and twice surpassed 18 points. He provides a higher floor with 110 yards rushing and two rushing scores, and a favorable matchup against the Bucs awaits. Tampa Bay ranks 26th in aFPA and 30th in pass DVOA. (FD: $6400; DK: $5100)
Running back
Dion Lewis, Patriots (at Bills) — The Patriots' backfield is aggravating, but Lewis has been consistent. He tallied 113 total yards last week on 16 touches and while Rex Burkhead got the two scores, it was Lewis who was salting away the game while the Patriots were up big. Lewis will have his goal-line opportunities as well. The Patriots are sitting at the top of the slate again with an implied team total of 28 points, and the Bills have been destroyed by the running game of late (minus the Chiefs), ranking 31st in aFPA to running backs and 27th run DVOA. (FD: 6300; DK: $5500)
Marshawn Lynch, Bengals (vs. Giants) — Lynch has quietly been productive when given enough touches. Last week, he racked up 111 total yards on 27 touches and got into the end zone for the third time in as many weeks. The Giants are now starting Geno Smith at quarterback, and that could spell a lot of carries for Lynch again. The Giants are ranked 27th in aFPA to running backs and 25th in run DVOA, plus the Raiders will be without the suspended Michael Crabtree and possibly the injured Amari Cooper. That could mean a heavy dose of the running game, and Lynch is priced right for the taking with the Raiders being seven-point home favorites. (FD: $6200; DK: $4800)
Receiver
Ted Ginn, Saints (vs. Panthers) — Carolina ranks 26th in aFPA to receivers and is middle of the pack in pass DVOA to No. 2 receivers. The Saints are sporting an implied team total of 26 points and are four-point home favorites. The running game should be heavily involved, but the Saints' passing game may lead them to the early points as the Panthers rank fifth in run DVOA. Ginn is always a threat to score any time he touches the ball and has been consistent, topping 59 yards in six of his last seven games. Look for Ginn to be involved early and often while being priced right to exploit. (FD: $5500; DK: $5100)
Josh Doctson, Redskins (at Cowboys) — The Cowboys rank 26th in pass DVOA and pass DVOA to No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. They also rank 27th in aFPA to receivers and have been annihilated defensively when Sean Lee hasn't been able to play. Doctson continues to emerge as a big-play threat for the Redskins and is their future at the position along with Jamison Crowder. Doctors has topped 80 yards or scored a touchdown in his last two games and should have an opportunity to put up solid numbers against a porous Dallas defense. (FD: $5700; DK: $4900)
Tight end
Jared Cook, Raiders (vs. Giants) — The Giants are another team to target when searching for tight end value plays. They rank 19th in DVOA to the position and 29th in aFPA. Cook is likely to be heavily involved with Crabtree out and Cooper possibly out too. Up until the last two weeks, the Giants had allowed a touchdown to a tight end every week of the year. In the past two weeks, the Chiefs' Travis Kelce still put up more than 100 yards on them and then there was the curious case of the Redskins' Vernon Davis, who magically put up a goose egg in the best spot possible. Can you tell I'm still angry about that? Still, that was the outlier, not the norm. The norm should get back on track this week and Cook should be the player to right that ship. (FD: $5500; DK: $5400)
Hunter Henry, Chargers (vs. Browns) — Should I write anything more than Henry is playing Cleveland? You should be familiar with the routine by now. Henry bust back onto the scene last week by catching five balls for 76 yards and a touchdown, a week after running the most routes he had ran all season. So maybe that's a sign the Chargers are finally learning that the more Henry is involved that the more efficient and better off their offense will be. Nonetheless, the Browns rank 32nd in aFPA and pass DVOA to tight ends. There's no better matchup. (FD: $5400; DK: $4700)
Just missed: Tyrod Taylor, Geno Smith, Matt Forte, Jacquizz Rodgers, Corey Coleman, Dontrelle Inman, Eric Ebron and Ben Watson.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and weekly guest of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter @jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.